As the 2020 election is approaching, America appears to be deeply divided. Finding bipartisan consensus is becoming uncomfortably difficult. In North Dakota, however, we have apparently achieved consensus on one important issue. That is the benefit of socialism. North Dakota, at the state level, has been a one-party state since 1994. During that 26 year
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I recently attended a conference in Chicago where one of the featured speakers was a well- regarded demographer from the University of North Carolina. According to his research, for the first time ever in the USA, children in the first grade with brown skin, outnumber children with white skin. By his definition, children with brown
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Reasonable people should at least agree in concept that some degree of control should be exercised by the federal government at the Mexican border. The Mexican border is ground zero for immigration. Canadians appear to be content with high taxes, socialized medicine, expensive booze, expensive gasoline, and less than balmy weather. We should hardly blame
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Are there works of literature, music or pop culture which somewhat describe current events in our nation’s capital? Could it be Dante’s Inferno? Could it be Alice in Wonderland? Could it be To Kill a Mockingbird? Could it be The Crucible? Could it be The Emperor Has No Clothes? Is it like watching One Flew
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In a matter of weeks, I will be retiring from the private practice of law. It has been an interesting run with victories, defeats, joy, and pain. I won’t be completely idle, however, as I am involved with several endeavors of interest to me. Minds, like bodies, can atrophy without some stimulation. When I moved
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From 30,000 feet up, the debate in our country over the excessive amount of gun violence is interesting. The 2nd Amendment (the right to bear arms) is cited sanctimoniously by “strict constructionists” of our constitution who claim our founders guaranteed us the right to bear arms which had not yet been invented. How does someone
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It is too early to speculate on the outcome of the Presidential race in 2020. If Trump does not get re-elected, however, there will be a chapter in American history and law for which there is no precedent. Michael Cohen, who was Trump’s personal lawyer, has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison for a
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In prior writings, I have described our country as “The Divided States of America”. No matter who is elected President in 2020, I am skeptical of that person’s capacity to unite the American public. It seems that the left and the right are tugging their respective political parties into positions which label compromise and basic
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Editor’s note: An earlier version of this was incorrectly attributed to Josh Wolsky. This has been updated to reflect the correct author, Jim Maxson. If there are more thankless jobs than being on the Minot City Council or being Minot’s Mayor, I have no idea what they may be. The present administration inherited some pre-existing
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In sixteen years, benefits paid out by the Social Security Administration will exceed generated surpluses. The options of the federal government at that time will be to reduce payments to the retired and/or disabled, increase payroll taxes on employers, employees or both, raise the cap on taxable wages, increase the age of retirement, or all
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I credit the Minot Area Development Corporation, of which I am a former board member and chair, for its recent release regarding the largest local employers. Minot Air Force Base, to nobody’s surprise, is the largest local employer. Trinity Health is number two. Minot Public Schools are number three. The City of Minot is number
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Our President is much taller than was President Madison. He is not as obese as was President Taft. He has more hair than did President Eisenhower. He is not as divisive as was Confederate President Jefferson Davis
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